[499916]

Just updated and I'm also getting the drop outs. Tried multiple settings and nothing fixes it. Lets see how long it takes Radsone to respond to the bug. Doubly disappointed now as I didn't get 24bit usb (Mac only???) and got an update with dropouts.. Bummer! How could they not find this bug when all of us find it within minutes of use???

V20
android 7

Just tried disabling aptX-HD and enabled regular aptX and the dropouts have gone away.. but now the sound quality is noticeably inferior.. I guess its a buffer issue.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Thanks...I guess I have to replace my phone then..not sure if it would be better if I buy a new phone or a dap..I normally stream thru spotify

LDAC is a great alternative if your phone got the Oreo update as @RockStar2005 said, otherwise switching from the Xiaomi to an AAC, aptX, aptX HD or LDAC certified phone will really unleash the ES100. For Spotify aptX or AAC is enough, and even if you switch to Tidal Hi-fi the improvements with higher-performance codecs will be non-existent to negligible and only audible on top-tier, fast, detail-oriented headphones or iems.

 

[jaymo]

Hi - I’m really interested in the ES100 but wonder what I can pair it with to get the best of two different uses. I’ll use decent IEMs and an iPhone X with it (sorry - no option on the phone).

As a wireless option, ES100 plus headphones makes sense, but if I’m travelling and want better sound, how can I get the most from the ES100? All the music on my phone is 44.1k/16bit ALAC files.

I thought I read a review of a Bluetooth adapter that will read files from a memory stick via bi-directional USB - will the Radsone do that?

AAC conversion seems like the weakest part of the chain. Is the best sound quality just to omit the ES100 and plug direct to the iPhone X when I want the quality improvement? Or better still, DFR into iPhone X?

Any comparisons appreciated.

 

[waynes world]

New firmware!!

Latest Version 1.4.0 (Sep. 13, 2018) - it works with App v1.8.0 or over

- Fixed occasional multi-point pairing failure issue
- Optional 2nd device reconnection
- Added USB DAC 44.1KHz support
- Added USB DAC 24-bit support (macOS only)
- Added max. volume limit option
- Added EQ headroom option
- HFP option (for old Android devices)
- Minor bug fix on voice call volume control
- Better antenna sharing with Wi-Fi

"Added USB DAC 44.1KHz support". Most awesome @wslee! The gift that keeps on giving

 

[waynes world]

I think the lack of a balanced output is the deal-breaker for me. I know Fiio has said they're working on it for a future product, but I wish they'd hurry up. I have the uBTR and I'm not sure the BTR3 is a major leap forward.

Right. Allow me to clarify. Before getting the ES100, the dealbreakers relating to a BT receiver would have been (a) SQ and (b) battery life. Now that I've been spoiled by the ES100, there are a lot of potential dealbreakers

I'll second the call for better buttons on the ES100. I hate how small the power button is and how close it is to the balanced out. Really poor design.

Yes, the power button and the other buttons are challenging to use. If a future FW update allows for button mapping, I'll be taking advantage of that. But the buttons are about my only niggle. Well, and a stronger clip. Maybe in a future version. Fwiw I don't mind the plastic construction. Yes, an aluminum body would be more premium feeling, but potentially at the expense of durability, weight and BT reception.

 

[scotvl]

Thanks...I guess I have to replace my phone then..not sure if it would be better if I buy a new phone or a dap..I normally stream thru spotify

I still use my 4 year old note 4 as my everyday phone because I love the screen size and amoled screen but I use a used lg g6 as my music transport via Ldac to the ES100 and I couldn't be happier with such a cheap versatile budget audiophile portable set up. See if you can pick up a used phone that is upgradable to android Oreo for Ldac support and you'll be all set.

 

[scotvl]

Hi - I’m really interested in the ES100 but wonder what I can pair it with to get the best of two different uses. I’ll use decent IEMs and an iPhone X with it (sorry - no option on the phone).

As a wireless option, ES100 plus headphones makes sense, but if I’m travelling and want better sound, how can I get the most from the ES100? All the music on my phone is 44.1k/16bit ALAC files.

I thought I read a review of a Bluetooth adapter that will read files from a memory stick via bi-directional USB - will the Radsone do that?

AAC conversion seems like the weakest part of the chain. Is the best sound quality just to omit the ES100 and plug direct to the iPhone X when I want the quality improvement? Or better still, DFR into iPhone X?

Any comparisons appreciated.

AAC codec is comparable to aptx hd on the ES100 to me but the Ldac update added a bit more transparency, you should still be impressed with the best bluetooth signal you've probably ever heard and developer device support if you pick one up.

 

[PiSkyHiFi]

First, when we get LDAC, we get a rather BS diagram that's supposed to demonstrate just how much more brilliant it is than the other codecs, despite using a single sine wave - standard practice for a DSP application, but completely useless for information compression and reveals only how the codecs handle the most simple base case and nothing else - the diagram seems to have been chosen because it happens to show Sony's LDAC as being close to perfect - I suspect this was done to satisfy Sony, because it doesn't actually represent anything close to a real world situation.

Honestly, I don't doubt that LDAC can achieve a better sound quality, but my phone supports AptX HD in hardware, doesn't overly drain the phone battery and has great connectivity, I am happy with it until my phone gets the Oreo updates, may even keep using it for the above reasons.

I am assuming Radsone would be regression testing with AptX HD as well, but now it seems possible they didn't even try it with the latest firmware.

I really hope that after selling this product on the promise of AptX HD, they don't simply ignore it because they're in the Sony way.

I have reverted back to 1.32 fw for now, it's fine, but seriously, get it together, you don't add features only to break major functionality.

 

[PiSkyHiFi]

OK, so after my rather assertive post about AptX HD and the new 1.40 firmware experiencing dropouts, @wslee actually let me try a version 1.41 bugfix for this straight away...

Yep, you did it Radsone, it's been playing for a solid 10 minutes now with AptX HD without any skipping.

I realise this is a kind of experimental approach to product development, so far, you appear to be outshining all other small companies in terms of support.

Thank you!

 

[Lunar Eclipse]

@wslee is on it. I'm a fan! For the first time ever I'm jealous of mac os users with their sweet, sweet 24bit ES usb dac. The volume limiter and 44khz compatability is much appreciated.

OK, so after my rather assertive post about AptX HD and the new 1.40 firmware experiencing dropouts, @wslee actually let me try a version 1.41 bugfix for this straight away...

Yep, you did it Radsone, it's been playing for a solid 10 minutes now with AptX HD without any skipping.

I realise this is a kind of experimental approach to product development, so far, you appear to be outshining all other small companies in terms of support.

Thank you!

 

[rxe16144]

This post might help for dual Dac operation.

 

[435279]

F/W 1.4.1 is available on the website for everyone now.

 

[SubMash]

Update is great - maximum volume limit is great (do you still need 1x/2x voltage mode though?). 44.1kHz on USB is great - most music is 44.1. Keep up the good work.

But, I have to say - with things like EQ headroom it becomes more and more complicated and doesn't make sense - keep adding buttons works only for some time.
And generally, the usability concept requires to rework to make the same functionality more simple and accessible.

Few suggestions:
1. Stop using menu function tabs + bottom tabs. There is no clear logic why one thing is in left tab, another in bottom one and some functions accessible in both.
2. Device connection tab should be eliminated - if I've connected BT device for sound - it should work with it. If there are 2 at the same time - let me choose by their BT name. But for most people it's only 1 - don't show them anything about it.
3. Use only 1 concept of functions access.
4. Use checkboxes instead of radio buttons where both things can work (like EQ preamp or charger actions).
5. Remember output level estimator settings per device, not per app.
6. Instead of EQ preamp + settings of pre/post amp just make this: NEVER allow digital clipping by any amp settings. Who wants that? Just always do digital preamp down to highest peak on EQ and always try to set back volume in analog on same xx dB. Limit maximum analog volume based on that, obviously.
7. Make some kind of digital normalizer with automatic instant limiter (allow to define delay of volume going up, speed of going up and dB of maximum amplification) - for low sensitivity high impedance headphones it's useful. Certainly, this thing should work before EQ.
8. Move help topics out of UI - (?) button was working great for that. If it's article - make it as a link, not a text in UI.
9. Resort things in UI - what USB DAC or jitter cleaner settings do in BT settings and why BT pairing is not in BT settings? Really - make the whole list of functions and 3 levels of grouping - tab, group, element. Rethink it from the beginning. It's time for that.
10. Remove this output lock - always have it locked. Considering dangers - automatic output selection is a bad function that nobody needs. Make simple selector - balanced/unbalanced and somewhere in power group add a checkbox for unbalanced power savings to use 1 amp only to save power.
11. Change charger actions to 2 dropdowns of what to do in case charger connected and disconnected: Keep State, On, Off.
12. Make checkbox "Set this phone volume to maximum automatically after ES100 connected" instead of source volume slider.

Anyway, avoid clutter - people who keep getting new functions maybe happy with new functions, but you need to sell more devices to new people and aside of apparent outlook change to fight with BTR3 - you really need to make app friendly for newcomers. Now it scares new people. But it's easy to fix.

 

[PiSkyHiFi]

Update is great - maximum volume limit is great (do you still need 1x/2x voltage mode though?). 44.1kHz on USB is great - most music is 44.1. Keep up the good work.

But, I have to say - with things like EQ headroom it becomes more and more complicated and doesn't make sense - keep adding buttons works only for some time.
And generally, the usability concept requires to rework to make the same functionality more simple and accessible.

Few suggestions:
1. Stop using menu function tabs + bottom tabs. There is no clear logic why one thing is in left tab, another in bottom one and some functions accessible in both.
2. Device connection tab should be eliminated - if I've connected BT device for sound - it should work with it. If there are 2 at the same time - let me choose by their BT name. But for most people it's only 1 - don't show them anything about it.
3. Use only 1 concept of functions access.
4. Use checkboxes instead of radio buttons where both things can work (like EQ preamp or charger actions).
5. Remember output level estimator settings per device, not per app.
6. Instead of EQ preamp + settings of pre/post amp just make this: NEVER allow digital clipping by any amp settings. Who wants that? Just always do digital preamp down to highest peak on EQ and always try to set back volume in analog on same xx dB. Limit maximum analog volume based on that, obviously.
7. Make some kind of digital normalizer with automatic instant limiter (allow to define delay of volume going up, instant going down to prevent clipping and dB of maximum amplification) - for low sensitivity high impedance headphones it's useful. Certainly, this thing should work before EQ.
8. Move help topics out of UI - (?) button was working great for that. If it's article - make it as a link, not a text in UI.
9. Resort things in UI - what USB DAC or jitter cleaner settings do in BT settings and why BT pairing is not in BT settings? Really - make the whole list of functions and 3 levels of grouping - tab, group, element. Rethink it from the beginning. It's time for that.
10. Remove this output lock - always have it locked. Considering dangers - automatic output selection is a bad function that nobody needs. Make simple selector - balanced/unbalanced and somewhere in power group add a checkbox for unbalanced power savings to use 1 amp only to save power.
11. Change charger actions to 2 dropdowns of what to do in case charger connected and disconnected: Keep State, On, Off.
12. Make checkbox "Set this phone volume to maximum automatically after ES100 connected" instead of source volume slider.

Anyway, avoid clutter - people who keep getting new functions maybe happy with new functions, but you need to sell more devices to new people and aside of apparent outlook change to fight with BTR3 - you really need to make app friendly for newcomers. Now it scares new people. But it's easy to fix.

I agree with much of this, especially point 7 - this is what I was expecting from an automatic gain limiter, needs to analyse the source signal in real-time comparing to the output from the preamp and eq and reduce the volume instantly to prevent clipping, restoring the requested set volume upon next track.

I also agree that it's getting cluttered, but I would like to see you reduce it down yourselves instead of taking direction from us about that, just keep it simple and reduce to functional requirements - or leave it as is without going further into complex settings.

By implementing Auto Gain Protection, much of this new clutter can be removed.

Edit: Actually Auto Gain Protection doesn't need to compare the source signal, just needs to evaluate the output from the preamp and EQ as it's being generated, if it clips, record the maximum clip and then adjust the preamp accordingly and reevaluate that frame with the new preamp value - keep doing this throughout the track, reducing the preamp to prevent clipping, reevaluating any frame that does clip.

 

[Matarro]

Is it notifications?

Might have been but it suddenly sorted itself out without me doing anything. I had a few days off from work (which is why I forgot to reply here) and didn't use that phone and when I got back it worked like it should. I haven't changed anything in settings but there was an update on my huawei so might have been that. Haven't had time to update the app either.

Apparently, your second phone makes short click noise and it's a nature of dual connected BT - it will pause your other phone playing to try to play first one.

Well, it makes no sounds but it does vibrate when I unlock it so maybe it was that. It still vibrates though but now the sound doesn't stop.

Thank you both for the help although it resolved itself. This has been mildly annoying for weeks so I'm glad it's gone.